Philadelphia Eagles: Is Michael Vick Putting to Much Pressure on Himself?

Michael Vick, needs to relax and not pay attention when the media says things that will garner headlines and page clicks. Otherwise, he is going to be the reason his Eagles team will continue to lose games.

His recent outburst came against Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, when King called the Eagles “Sloppy and Dumb.” Vick went on the defense against King’s tweet by originally providing a “No Comment,” but then went on to say, “Unless you played this game you don’t need to make comments like that.....it’s just football.”  

But King is right to make this statement, even if he never put on a set of pads or made a tackle, because the Eagles have played sloppy and dumb so far this year.

From missing a number of tackles, to the defensive offsides call to end their game against the Buffalo Bills, it has led this Philadelphia Eagles team to a 1-4 record after five games this season.

Is the defensive lapses in any way Michael Vick’s fault? No.  

But Vick is the quarterback, and therefore he is the face of this team and will get the brunt of the blame for not living up to preseason expectations.

However, it is Vick’s fault for unnecessary turnovers on offense coming from trying to do too much. Last year, when Vick was winning games all by himself, it was because there was little to no expectations for the quarterback.

In the offseason, he signed a monster contract with the Eagles worth $100 million over six years. The contract put the bull's eye directly on Vick’s chest as the reason why the Eagles were going to be Super Bowl favorites.  

For the year, Vick is having a good season as a passer. In his first five games so far, Vick has eight touchdown passes—compared to his first five games last year where he had seven. In five games this Vick has 1,336 passing yards compared to last year’s 1,017.  

But the number that Vick needs to cut down on is his interceptions—he has seven this season, compared to zero in his first five games last year.  

Once Vick can get this Eagles team back on track, winning games, the media pressure will subside and people will get back on the Michael Vick bandwagon. The over-scrutinized quarterback will then be able to play that carefree football that made him that dynamic playmaker who brought himself all of the fame and fortunes in his career. 

Twitter: @tjmcaloon